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In the NFL, how much authority does the player have to decide whether to press, stay tight, or back off before the snap? Is that a coaching/play decision, or does the player always (or at least frequently) have the option?

I mean, I'm sure that can very, depending on player and team, but if Norman has the option in most situations and he keeps backing off, that's clearly an issue with him and confidence, etc. If it's not up to him and he's hand-tied by the plays being called, then I really can't downgrade the guy for playing what's called.

I've been trying to figure out if this a problem with Norman or our scheme for a while. The thing is Thomas plays off the receiver and up close. That could be by design or Thomas's preference, idk. To me it seems that Norman, Thomas and Gamble are all corners that would excel in tight man coverage.

I cannot imagine coaches saying "Hey CBs, you must play Off, all the time, on every play, even if you give up a completion on every throw, and even if you're good at playing press".

In what world would that make sense? I would imagine there is some discretion for the CB to play to level of their skillset along with the talent of the receiver they're covering.

So i'f I'm Josh Norman, I might play Roddy White and Julio a little farther off than say, a Wes Welker who catches a lot over the middle, etc..

But it's still situational. If it's 3rd and 3, I wouldn't be playing super soft because clearly they're not going deep on this play, whereas if it's 3rd and 20, than you want to play a little softer.

I could be wrong but really, why would a Coach force players to play out of position all the time and always get beat? That would make no sense._________________

well in the bears game you saw players. specifically coverage guys complaining about the play calls on that last drive. that to me says somewhat that these guys are going out there running what is called and don't have much input. it can't be like that all the time tho right? i mean that would just be bad coaching.....oh wait_________________

well in the bears game you saw players. specifically coverage guys complaining about the play calls on that last drive. that to me says somewhat that these guys are going out there running what is called and don't have much input. it can't be like that all the time tho right? i mean that would just be bad coaching.....oh wait

That's really what I'm wondering about. Because, if I recall correctly, there was a lot of Cover 4 called late in the Bears game, meaning the CBs would be bailing and playing soft (like they were). Does Norman have the ability to bump and play tight in that situation, or is he stuck with the play call? I'm sure there's a lot more nuance than that, it just seems frustrating all around. I'm sure Norman could be playing more aggressively when given the opportunity, I just don't know if I'm willing to chalk it up to him playing soft at this point, as opposed to be forced by scheme/play call._________________

MrDrew wrote:

Can somebody give me a good reason there's not a giant statue to fret somewhere?

If the coverage call is zone, a defensive back typically does not get to decide how he plays the receiver (for the most part, anyway). If it is man, then a DB has more leeway. I don't know what the coverage was so I don't know if Norman was in the right or wrong.

Of course this is basically me using my HS knowledge. No idea how it works in the NFL. But that is the jist of it._________________

I remember from the Panther Talk podcast after the game, Rivera said that the decision to go with Thomas over Norman was just simple matchups. He said that the defensive plan was to be physical and jam Atlanta's receivers at the line, and Thomas was a bulkier and more physical corner. I'm not as familiar with the two players as some people, so I don't know how much of that is true, and how much is just being politically correct.

I remember from the Panther Talk podcast after the game, Rivera said that the decision to go with Thomas over Norman was just simple matchups. He said that the defensive plan was to be physical and jam Atlanta's receivers at the line, and Thomas was a bulkier and more physical corner. I'm not as familiar with the two players as some people, so I don't know how much of that is true, and how much is just being politically correct.

That does make a lot of sense, but I still don't understand why they sat him completely. I mean, Dockery got more playing time than him._________________